Numbering-machine.



No. 836,742. PATENTED NOV; 27, 1906.

Pu RI NUMBBRING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rum) 11.5. 1905.

I I I UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

PETER R. DILL, OF NEW Y ORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO WETTER NUMBERING MACHINECOMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

NUMBERING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 1906.

To all whont it 'lII/Cty concern:

Be it known that I, PETER R. DILL, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the city of New York, in theState of New York, have invented cer- I ticularly concerned with theconstruction and arrangement of the movable type-block, which in mostmodern automatic machines of this character is provided in eachnumberwheel above the units-wheel and is arranged to be depressed belowthe plane of print, so that a non-significantzero shall not appear atthe left of the number to be printed. Various arrangements of suchmovable typeblocks or drop-ciphers, as they are commonly called, havebeen devised heretofore; but whatever their construction they haveconstituted heretofore a more or less prolific source of trouble. Theprinting pressure is great, and in a high-speed printing-press itseffect is almost like that of a hammer, and the drop-cipher blocks aretherefore sometimes broken or deformed to such an extent as to permitthe type-face thereof to fall slightly below the plane of print, when itshould be supported firmly in the plane of print.

It is the object of this invention to improve the construction andarrangement of the movable type-block or drop-cipher block, so that itwill be better able to withstand the severe usage to which it issubjected without suffering therefrom.

As now commonly employed 'the typeblock is arranged to move radially inthe number-wheel and is provided with a foot to cooperate with one sideof an undercut groove in the supporting-shaft, so that when thetype-block is in the printing position its face shall be supported inthe plane of print, and when the type-block is moved with wheelsslightly beyond the printing position and then returned the type-blockshall be held in its depressed position from accidental movementoutward. In such an arrangement in order that the foot of the type-blockand the overhanging edge of the slot in the shaft may properly cooperatethe point of the foot is made somewhat slender, and the line of pressurewhen the type-block is in printing position falls but slightly behindthe point of the foot, with the result that the foot frequently becomesbent after more or less extended use and fails to hold the type-surfaceof the block fully up to the plane of print. The object of thisinvention is to overcome this difiiculty, and in accordance therewiththe movable type-block instead of being radially disposed istangentially disposed in the number-wheel and with respect to the supporting-shaft. The said shaft is slotted; but the retaining side of saidslot does not overhang with respect to a radial line, and the foot ofthe movable block is correspondingly formed, so that there is acontinuous and substantial body of metal between the face of thetype-block and the surface of the su porting-shaft when the type-blockis in t e printing position to receive the plrinting pressure. By theprovision of suc continuous supporting-body of metal the danger ofbending the foot of the type-block is obviated and the necessity forfrequent repairs is avoided.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which. it is illustrated, and in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of a numberingmachine to which the invention isapplied, the frame being partly broken out at one side. Fig. 2 is a viewin vertical section on the plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1,showing the type-block supported in the printing position, theratchet-wheel being partly broken. away. Fig. 3 is a detail view showingthe movable type-block in its depressed position. Fig. 4 shows front,side, and rear views of the movable type-block.

The numbering-machine to which the invention is applied may be of'anyusual or suitable construction. As shown in the accomp anying drawings,it comprises a frame a. in which is supported a shaft b. Thenumber-wheels c are mounted to rotate upon the shaft 1) and are providedeach with a suitable ratchet-wheel d, the several ratchet-wheels beingengaged by graduated pawls 6, carried by a swinging pawl-frame fOscillating movement is imparted to the latter in the particular machineshown through suitable connections from a spring-supportedvertically-movable plunger 9. Hold-pawls h are provided for engagementwith the ratchetwheels of the several number-wheels. Any other suitablearrangement of numberwheels and actuacting devices therefor may beemployed, the present invention not being directly concerned therewith,except as hereinafter indicated.

In accordance with the present invention each number-wheel c is slottedtangentially with respect to the supporting-shaft b, and mounted toslide therein is a movable typeblock or drop-cipher 7c. The supporting--shaft b is grooved or slotted, as indicated at b, one side b thereofbeing adapted to cooperate with the foot of the movable block 7:: as acam to thrust the block outwardly, while the other side If is adapted tocooperate with the foot of the block to hold the block in its depressedposition, as shown in Fig. 3. As will be observed, however, the side 5does not overhang with respect to any radius of said shaft intersectingany part of said side. The movable typeblock or dropcipher block 70, asclearly shown in the drawings, is of an irregular geometrical shape, itstype-surface being oblique with respect to the general axis of theblock. On one side the block is slotted, as at W, forming at the lowerend a shoulder 763 for cooperation with a bur struck up, as indicated atc, on theside of the slot i in the wheel 0 for the purpose of preventingthe sliding of the block entirely out of the slot. On the opposite sidethe block is notched, as at M, forming a foot 16' to bear on thesupporting-shaft 6, its I forward side is cooperating with the edge 71of the slot 1) in said shaft. As will be ob-- served. upon reference toFig. 2, the lines of. pressure between the type-face of the block andthe greater portion of the bearing-surface of the foot of the block fallentirely within the body of the block, so that there is no tendency todeform the foot in such at manner as to permit the type-surface of theblock to fall below the plane of print. At the same time, as will beseen by reference to Fig. 8, the block is held in its depressed positionby the cooperation of the edge 5 of the slot in the supportin -shaft andthe side in of the notch in the bloc against the possibility ofaccidental movement .of the block outward.

I claim as my invention 1. In a numbering-machine, the combination of aslotted supporting-shaft, a numberwheel mounted thereon and slottedtangentially with respect to said shaft and a movable type-block mountedin the slot of the number-wheel and having a foot to cooperate with theslot in the shaft, substantially as described.

2. In a numbering-machine, the combination of a slottedsupporting-shaft, a numberwheel mounted thereon and slotted tangentiallywith respect to said shaft, and a movable type-block mounted in the slotin said wheel and having its type-face oblique to its axis and having afoot to 006 erate with said shaft, substantially as descri ed.

3. The combination of a center shaft having a reentrant angular notch atone side, and a type-wheel loosely mounted on said shaft having adepressible type, said wheel having a slot extending from its peripheryto the shaft in a direction not radial, and a block carrying thedepressible type movable in said slot, said block having its foot formedto interfit with the notched side of the shaft when the type isdepressed, and said foot adapted to rest upon the periphery of the shaftwhen the type is raised and provide a solid bearing betweentheimpression-surface of the type and the shaft. I

4. The combination of a center shaft having a notch or recess at oneside, leaving a solid bearing directly above the center of the shaft,and a type-wheel loosely mounted on said shaft having a drop-type whosefoot is constructed to interfit with said notch when the wheel is turnedin a position to allow depression of the type and to rest upon the topof the shaft and provide a solid bearing between the impression-surfaceof the type and the center of the shaft when the type is up.

5. A type-wheel for numbering-machlnes having a drop-type movable in aslot oblique or inclined to a radial line.

This specification signed and witnessed this 3d day of April, 1905 PETERR. DILL.

In presence of ANTHONY N. JESBERA, W. B. GREELEY.

